There is known a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device by forming a predetermined semiconductor element in a chip forming region on a semiconductor wafer, forming an inspection element (TEG element) for inspecting the characteristics of the semiconductor element in a dicing line, inspecting the characteristics of the semiconductor element by inspecting the inspection element, and successively dicing the semiconductor wafer along the dicing line. Here, in the dicing line, a pad connected electrically to the inspection element, abutting on a probe needle of a testing apparatus, and comprising a metal film is also formed together with the inspection element.
In the case of dicing a semiconductor wafer along a dicing line with a dicing blade however, particles of a metal constituting a pad (metal film) attach to the dicing blade when the pad connected to an inspection element is diced. As a result, an irregular stress is likely to be applied to the dicing line (semiconductor wafer) from the dicing blade by the attachment of the metal particles and chipping and cracking may be generated in the dicing line in some cases. Then, when the chipping and cracking propagate in a chip forming region, the characteristics of a semiconductor device may change undesirably.
In order to solve the problem for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of: preparing a semiconductor wafer in which a pad is formed in a portion of a dicing line closer to one of adjacent chip forming regions; and using a dicing blade so that the part of the dicing blade closer to the other chip forming region may not abut the pad when dicing is applied. According to the literature, because the part of a dicing blade closer to the other chip forming region does not touch a pad when a semiconductor wafer is diced with the dicing blade, metal particles are restrained from attaching to the part. In other words, the total quantity of metal particles attaching to a dicing blade can be reduced. As a result, chipping and cracking can be restrained from being generated in a dicing line.